Related Articles

Related Questions

Q: I want to start the raw food diet, but do not want to lose weight has i am under weight already. I need tips to gain or at least maintain my weight. I do lift weights as part of my exercise routine.

A:

Thanks for the question,

Losing "weight" on a raw foods diet is a definite probability. But the weight might be excess fat and water retention due to detoxing. By weight I am assuming you are talking about muscle. It is not that complicated to keep muscle while on a raw food diet. The Vegan Effect diet program I created is 60-90 percent raw. Raw before dinner if that helps. I allow myself one cooked meal a day. For the most part the diet is a Low fat/high carb/high fruit/high alkaline diet.

The most important thing to remember is getting enough calories. My athletes (including raw body builders) typically eat 1000 calories of fruit for breakfast in the form of a green smoothie. Usually post workout. You need to eat roughly 3000 calories to maintain or grow muscle mass. Some of my mass building athletes eat as much as 5000 calories. Albeit at a higher fat ratio than our standard 70/10/20 carb/fat/protein ratios.

There is a raw organic food bar with 22 grams of protien that can be found here http://www.organicfoodbar.com/products/. *Note: I am not affiliated with them nor do I sell any supplements*. It is however a great bridge to meals.

Besides getting enough calories make sure you are getting around 20 grams of protein 5 times a day to maintain muscle mass. Sprouting beans, nut butters, seeds, and nuts help.

I run a 6 month online health coahcing program that includes lessons on sports nutrition and include a individualized fitness plan. I am currently running a ridiculous half off special to fill spots. If you are interested visit www.theveganeffect.com and contact me there.

Q: I read the food chart for the FULL BODY DETOX. Is it ok to eat the cream of wheat while detoxing? I'm confused because on the food chart it mentioned alot of different foods, but it tell you the best thing to do is a all raw food diet such as salads and fruit, smoothies... I also plan to do the ANTI-VIRAL CLEANSE AND REGIMEN right after the FULL BODY DETOX and that requires a all raw food diet as well. So that means 2 months of strictly raw foods right? :( Its tough but I am determined too get rid of this hsv1 & hsv 2

A:

I suggest you read the article â€WHAT IS RAW FOODSâ€ as it will help you to understand what to eat and what
not to eat on the FULL BODY DETOX. Yes, all raw foods for 2 months (to the best of your ability, Beloved). YOU CAN DO IT, BELOVED!
Did you read our "GENITAL HERPES" article?

Q: What Are Some Natural Sweet Treats (Junk Foods) I can Consume? Under free will you can consume what you like, but healthier products are best. You will find plenty of "healthier" snack, treat, and junk foods at good health food stores such as Whole Foods Market, PCC Natural Food Stores, Erewhon, Trader Joes, Natural Grocers, New Frontiers, etc. Just make sure to abstain from salt, sugar, and other harmful chemicals in the products you buy. We list many companies of alternative foods and products (and their website addresses) in our ALTERNATIVE DIET AND LIFESTYLES MANUAL.

Q: Iâ€™m wondering about your 20 day raw food diet, are you saying no cooked veggies at all. (I have a form of PARKINSON; I'm interested in trying your recommended raw food diet for 20 days) Please answer this question as soon as possible, thanks.

Q: While doing a candida cleanse, it was told to me that I should be following a raw food diet full of fruits and vegetables. Fruits have high sugar content and can feed a candida overgrowth, as it is a well known fact that candida albicans thrive on sugar. How can I justify eating fruits high in sugar? Thank you for your comments. Ozzy

A: Yes, when you have a candida issue it's best to avoid refined sugar. Sugar from a natural source like fruits should be consumed moderately. In your case it would be best to consume fruits mainly in the mornings for breakfast when your body maximizes on food the most, avoiding the ones that are very high in sugar.

Q: What's the best way to start on a vegan/raw food diet? I am not sure what to eat to make sure I would get a nutritious diet-you may not be able to go into that much detail but how can I get sample meal plans for breakfast, lunch and dinner incorporating this type of diet-perhaps there is somewhere on the web I find something like this? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

A:

If I do say myself, the best way to start a raw food diet is to be coached by me. I run a 6 month health coaching program that is 60-90 percent raw and 100 percent vegan/gluten free/ allergy free. You can find out more about my program at www.theveganeffect.com. I am running a special of half off my program if you sign up before march 1st.

Here are some other tips to get started.

1: Join a raw food meetup group or community. Surround yourself with supportive people who can point you in the right direction. Try meetup.org or 30bananasaday.com

2: Read books like "beauty detox solution" by snyder, "80/10/10" by Dr. Graham., or "The Paradigm diet" by Adam Dave

3: Start simple with breakfast. Always start your day with a green smoothie. read "Green smoothie revolution" by forget authors name at the moment. heh.

A sample meal plan would be.

Breakfast: Green smoothie

Bridge: raw bar, handful of nuts or seeds, or fruit

Lunch: Raw wraps made from collard greens. use a base of tahini, hummus, or nut butter. Fill with sprouts and colorful veggies

Q: I have incorporated fish into my diet because I have been craving. Is moderation okay.... meaning my fruits for breakfast a regular lunch with salad and a salad for dinner okay to pretty much moderate other foods? It is challenging for me to become a vegan. Do you have any suggestions on how to still eat healthy to maintain an alkalized body with certain foods with moderation that are not raw? I still drink my green veggies at least twice a day. I am praying that my results will be negative.

A:

FISH IN MODERATION IS OKAY FOR YOU. TO MAINTAIN ALKALINITY, DESPITE THE ACID-FORMING THINGS YOU EAT, JUST MAKE SURE TO EAT AS MANY GREEN FOODS AS POSSIBLE. YOU CAN ALSO TAKE 6 CAPSULES OF ELECTRIC GREENS CELL FOOD TOO! YOUâ€™RE DOING GOOD SO KEEP YOUR THOUGHTS POSITIVE AND ON YOUR DESIRES.

Q: Thank you for always answering my questions. I have about two more. Okay, I'm currently living overseas where I'm limited on raw fresh foods (vegetables and fruits). I want to do the detox but I'm concerned that I won't have everything as far as raw food to be successful. I have access to basics (apples, oranges, bananas, tomatoes, avocados, melons, lettuce, cabbage, bean spouts, carrots, celery, peppers, green beans, peas, bagged nuts,) but nothing exotic by any means. Then I was told to safely eat some of the food in the local economy that we should wash it with a 5% bleach solution (is that safe...and if on the detox I'm thinking that would be a no go). Two questions?Given the mentioned availability of raw foods could I be able to successfully complete the detox (I don't have an issue with eating the same things over and over again) and two what can I do to clean local produce so that its safe for consumption? Apparently part of the issue is that they use human feces to fertilize. Thank you for your time and I look forward to your response

A:

Yes, it seems you have enough raw food available to you to complete the cleanse.

In order to clean local produce, rinse thoroughly with apple cider vinegar to "disinfect" it. If apple cider vinegar is unavailable, just use water.

Q: First, I want to thank you for your time the other evening. Your information was very informative and helpful. Next, I have a few questions pertaining to the detox and the other services you provide. 1. Will going from a traditional American diet to a raw food diet cause my body to become ill in the beginning or go into "shock" from all the good foods I'll be eating? If so, is there any way to ease in to this plan?

A: While your body may experience a change as a result of the raw foods diet, you will not experience any adverse symptoms. Our products are 100% all-natural and only enhance your body.

Q: Hi, I'm a 36 year old African/American woman with 4 children whose been trying to lose weight off and on for the past 16 years. I lose the weight but then I gain it right back after I go off of my diet. I know that I need a good body/colon cleanse, but what I need to learn how to do is to eat the right food's to keep my body healthy. I've been conditioned to eat the foods that I do eat, I need to know how do I go about "de-programming" myself from the bad food's and program myself to want and crave the healthy one's? I'm open to any suggestion's you have, even using crystals and meditation. Thank you.

A:

Time is limited here in "Ask the Herbalist" so I humbly request you consider a full length health consultation. However, I can tell you that you'd greatly benefit from a FULL BODY DETOX Cleanse.

Q: I began the ANTI-VIRAL CLEANSE AND REGIMEN approximately a week ago, it has been hard to maintain the fruit and vegan diet, but today I took the blood pills & then ate a grape fruit but after a 30 minutes or less I became sick. Is grapefruit a good morning food? Basically, why did it not stay down?

A:

I WOULD ABSTAIN FROM EATING GRAPEFRUIT. THE GRAPEFRUIT IS ACIDIC (THOUGH ALKALINE) BUT IT WAS NOT A GOOD MIX CONSIDERING THE INGREDIENTS OF THE BLOOD FORMULA. EAT VEGETABLES INSTEAD BEFORE TAKING
THE BLOOD FORMULA.

Q: I am getting ready to go in the field for 3 days with the Military, and there will not be a variety of food to choose from. I started the WEIGHT RELEASE CLEANSE AND REGIMEN on 08-Jul-08. I know that I can still drink the master cleanse in the morning and drinking the tea. My only problem is the food. Will it be okay to eat some of the food and start right back to eating the right food on Monday?

A:

IT WILL HAVE TO BE ALL RIGHT. DO WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO TO STAY ON THE CLEANSE. JUST GET BACK TO THE FOOD REGIMEN AS SOON AS YOU CAN (RETURNING FROM THE FIELD).

Q: The product label talks in terms of children's needs. The directions say "1 to 2 drops" as needed. What about adults? How many drops under the tongue or in water and how many times per day? Is it okay to take it every day even though it has Echinacea?

A:

You can double up the children's dosage for yourself as an adult and yes, you can take it every day despite the Echinacea

Q: I want to know what is the difference in using the Wild Alum Root Powder for douching in reference to my prolapsed uterus problem vs. using the FEMALE HEALTH TEA Product that you sell. I would like to know so that I am able to know why and when to use a particular herbal product that will be better for my situation. Your clarity on this for my education will greatly appreciate. Thanks for your time and do have a wonderful day/evening upon receipt of this email. Thanks again for any clarity you can provide so I will better understand why you suggested and advised me to use the Female Health Tea.

A:

There's really no difference: it's just that wild alum is one herb (and a very good) and the tea I recommended has more herbs which have an affinity for female organs. Both can be used or one over
the other.

Q: My wife and I started your Full Body Detox 9 days ago. Things are going well but in reference to the "raw food" diet we have gone a few times to some raw food restaurants such as Leaf & Raw. Are they O.K.? Secondly, are there some nuts to stay away from and is there a limit to how much you should consume?

A:

Raw food restaurants sell RAW FOODS. That's recommended during the Full Body Detox. No problem here! Read our
article WHAT IS RAW FOODS. The only nuts you might want to stay away from are peanuts. Glad to hear the detox I going swell!

Q: How can I make the transition from cooked food, to raw food? Do you have any raw recipes for children? How can I get kids to eat raw?

A:

Children do as you do, so let the child see you eating raw food as well. Fruits are the best raw foods to eat, as they are naturally sweet. Purchase "Alternative Diet and Lifestyle Manual", for
the numerous raw food resources to assist you in this transition.

Q: My cat is currently having a hypersensitive reaction to canned food that I purchased from Whole Foods. It contained fish and I think it has upset my cat's stomach. Will your Cat and Dog Immune Booster Formula help stabilize his upset stomach? He responds well to the antibiotic from the vet however if I can give him something all natural to help his entire immune system then he and I won't have to go through the stress of going to the vet.

A:

I say give your cat something natural to stablize the upset stomach. Immune Booster will
greatly help your cat. Or, you could give your cat Electric Greens Cell Food (open up a few capsules) and
the alkalinity from this formula will serve as an antacid.

Q: I notice that my 5 year old son as a cavity, and also his teeth are of a grayish color. He does not eat a lot of sweets, and artificial foods. I try to eat food that is organic, lots of fruits and vegetables. My concern is that, he is not getting enough vitamins, protein, and calcium. Is there of particular diet that you would recommend for my child?

Q: YOU ARE PROBABLY WELL AWARE RIGHTNOW THAT I'M 45 AND I HAVE FIBROIDS. FOR THE PAST 3 YEARS I HAVE HAD A COCONUT OIL CRAVING. DO YOU KNOW WHAT I MAYBE LACKING WHY I CRAVE COCONUT OIL. I LIKE TO FREEZE IT AND THEN CRUNCH ON IT IN ITS SOLID STATE. I KNOW IT SOUNDS STRANGE BUT I STARTED THIS HABIT ABOUT 3 YEARS AGO. I DO NOT KNOW IF IT IS THE MASSIVE BLOOD LOSS DUE TO FIBROIDS, THAT HAS RESULTED IN THIS WEIRD CRAVING. I JUST DONT TAKE ONE TBSP, I TAKE ALOT MORE AND I CANT, AFFORD IT AND I KNOW THAT THIS HABIT IS NOT GOOD FOR ME.

A:

I don't know the exact reasons why you are craving frozen coconut oil but clearly you are lacking something and your Body Intelligence instructed you to eat frozen coconut oil. The oil is perhaps
serving as a vehicle for the fibroid debris so as to pull what debris it can out of your body. Coconut oil is natural so I don't see anything wrong with your newfound custom. As long as you're fine
with it, keep doing it.

Q: I had 2 jaw bone (cavitations) surgeries, from holistic dentist, a dentist I went to prior caused major trauma to the bone and 3 days later my whole face was on fire, this has been 3 years since this happened, he might have pushed the infection I had in my system through the nerves, I am a whole lot better but still experience pain, pressure and fogginess in my head causing me not to think straight at times, pain behind my ears and in lower jaw, as well as discomfort and pressure. I would like to know what product would be good for this, the brain and heart circulation herb? I pretty much have to stay on a raw food diet to maintain my health but this is not totally getting rid of the problem, there is inflammation and pain in my jaws if I eat the wrong thing. Could you please guide me in the right direction?